Hosiery drying form



M, 1936., R WEBER 2,027,712

HOSIERY DRYING FORM Filed June 16, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l 4770/?M" Val I Jam. 11,, 1% r R. WEBER 2927,7112

HOS IERY DRYING FORM Filed June 16, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I li i 74 12 i i i I i 1 1 I i l j Y I 1 l I l/VVf/V/Ol? WIT/V535: v V

M a ag fl aer Patented Jan. 14, 1936 UNITED STATES eATNr Fries HOSIERY DRYING FORM Application June 16, 1931, Serial No. 544,768

2 Claims.

This invention relates to hosiery drying forms and particularly accessories therefor which permit standard types of forms to be used in the drying of hosiery of various types.

This application is in part a continuation of my application Serial Number 427,149 filed February 10, 1930.

In the drying of hosiery it is customary to place 7 thestockings on boards or forms which are internally heated by means of hot fluid such as steam, hot air, or hot Water, or electricity. These forms are made of different sizes corresponding to the diiferent numbered hosiery sizes. Stockingsof the same numbered size are, however, made of different leg widths and furthermore the yarns used by the manufacturers of stockings are of different materials and quality and vary considerably in degree of shrinkage and elasticity. It is desirable in drying stockings to have the shape of the form correspond throughout the foot, ankle and leg with the desired shape of the stocking. It is also desirable that the size of the form shall vary to correspond with the elasticity of the stocking. Obviously, however, the provision of forms of different size and shape adapted to each size, shape and degree of elasticity of different stockings would necessitate the use of an exceedingly large number of forms, the provision of which would be commercially impracticable 30 and of prohibitive cost both to the manufacturer and to the user.

It is the broad object of the present invention to provide means whereby a limited and customary number of forms may be readily reshaped toadapt them to stockings of all combinations of size, shape and quality.

Specifically, it is the object of the invention to provide attachments for standard types of forms which will so vary the contour of the forms as to adapt them for the reception of stockings of different sizes and types. In the preferred embodiment of the invention these attachments are so made as to be readily secured to the forms in definite positions and to have such extended contact with the forms that they Will be heated substantially to the temperature at which the forms are operated.

Further detailed objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of one type of form to which the preferred forms of attachments are secured;

Fig. 2 is a section taken on the plane indicated by the line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an instrument or tool adapted for the removal of hot attachments from a form;

Figs. 4 and 5 are elevations of the form illustrated in Fig. 2 having difierent attachments applied thereto;

Figs. 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 are elevations of other types of forms containing attachments of varying types illustrating the breadth of application of the invention;

Fig. 11 is an elevation of another type of form provided with a special edge to which a suitable attachment is secured;

Fig. 12 is a section taken on the plane indicated by the line 92-!2 in Fig. 11;

Fig. 13 is an elevation of the form of Fig. 11 showing different attachments applied thereto; and,

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary cross section showing the application of an attachment to a form having a different edge construction.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2 there is illustrated at 2 a conventional type of form provided in the present instance with passages 4 extending longitudinally thereof and providing for a' flow of hot fluid such as steam, water or air. Alternatively to the use of such mode of heating the form may be heated by electricity in the manner well known in the art by the inclusion of suitable heating resistances in its structure. In order to adapt the form for various foot sizes it is provided with a removable toe 6 of well known type, this toe being hollow and receiving a projecting portion of the body of the form whereby it is heated by conduction. In the type' of form illustrated, as will be clear from an inspection of Fig. 2, the form is thin relatively to its Width whereby it presents longitudinal thin edges for engagement with hosiery. While in.; 5 this instance the edges are convex they may be grooved in the well known manner.

As shown in Fig. 1 the form is provided with rear and front attachments 6 and i0 respectively. These attachments are of thin metal having the 40 cross section illustrated in Fig. 2 and providing stocking engaging edges i i, the contour of which is that desired for the proper shaping of the stocking to be applied to the form. These attachments are advantageously made of sheet metal having resilient properties, the joints being formed by welding. Suitable filling may also be provided by Welding to space the top and bottom of the attachments from the normal edges of the form to the extent desired.

In order to guide the user of the form so that he may determine the proper location of the attachments to secure an outline conforming to the stockings to be dried, the form is preferably provided with markings indicated at H3 in the form, for example, of numbered lines while the attachments are likewise provided with numbers or other markings indicated at l8. For example, in the case of the attachment 8, which is numbered 3 the upper end of this attachment is made to coincide with the line 16 which is likewise designated 3. The proper lateral alignment of the attachments is secured by the engagement of upper and lower ends 20 and 22 of the attachment with the edge of the form,

the arrangement being such that the form fits into these edges as in a socket. In certain instances, as will be clear hereafter, filling may be provided so that one or both of the ends of the attachment extend outwardly from the form.

One important feature of the attachments is the extended area of contact which they have with the walls of the form whereby heat is conducted to them so that they attain substantially the working temperature of the body of the form. This will be obvious from Fig. 2 in which it will be seen that by reason of the resilience of the attachments they have extended clamping engagement with the body of the form.

By reason of their resilience the attachments may be readily placed upon and removed from the form, acting as clamps thereon. Inasmuch as it is sometimes desired to change the shape of a form without waiting for it to cool the attachments are provided with holes 24 engageable by the prongs ,2! of a suitable tool 26 which may be manually grasped to remove the attachments from the form when the attachments are at such temperature that they could not be handled directly. By reason of their tapering edges the prongs of the tool are automatically wedged apart merely by its movement upon the. attachments, the prongs then snapping into the holes whereupon withdrawal of the attachments may be effected.

The universality of the invention may be readily appreciated from a consideration of Figs. 4 to 10 which show various types of standard drying forms in common use and illustrate the changes in their contour which may be effected by the use of appropriate attachments. In Fig. 4,

for example, attachments 28 and 3!! are applied to give a. proper contour for the drying of socks. The form 28 gives an example of an arrangement wherein the attachment does not merge smoothly with the edge of the form as in the modifications illustrated in Fig. 1. In this case the edge 32 is suitably filled up by welded metal so that the corner of the attachment is maintained-spaced from the edge of the body of the form.

In Fig. 5 there is illustrated an attachment 34 attached to the form 2, this attachment being used to widen the contour of the form to take' care of the leg and welt.

In Fig. 6 there is illustrated another form 35 provided with attachments 33 and All designed to change the contour to accommodate half hose having longer legs.

In Fig. 7 there is shown a form 42 provided with an attachment A l to accommodate shaped hosiery.

The attachments 48 and 50 applied to the form 46 in Fig. 8 are respectively for the purpose of taking care of an ankl t and for taking care of larger legs and welts.

The attachments 54 and 55 and 58 and 6!) applied to the form 52 are designed for obvious purposes.

In all of the above instances the attachments preferably are formed of relatively thin sheet metal clamps having extended contact with the forms for the proper conduction of heat. In the modification illustrated in Figs. 11, 12 and 13, however, there is illustrated a different form of attachment applicable to a drying form 62 provided with a projecting laterally extending ridge 64 which is for the purpose of receiving the seam of the stocking while it is being dried as is well known in the art. One or both of the edges may have this ridge. In this case the attachment 66 may be of more or less solid metal in the form of a fin which is long relative to its width and substantially wider than thick, the fin '56 being bifurcated to clamp upon the ridge 64 to increase locally the width of the form. The fin which is readily attachable and detachable from the edge of the form may extend throughout only a small portion of the length of the edge or throughout the entire length. For example, as illustrated in Fig. 13 the attachments 68. T0 and 12 take care of the entire back and sole portion of the form. In this case there is also provided a front fin or attachment M adjacent the welt portion of the form. The fin 12 is adapted to take care of stockings of a given foot length but abnormal foot width. It may be noted that instead of using a simple fin or attachment in the arrangement of Fig. 13 it is preferable to use separate parts which may be more readily handled. In this case the ends of the adjacent fins abut each other.

In certain cases forms are provided as indicated in Fig. 14 with grooves instead of ridges at their edges, the form l6 in this figure being provided with a groove '53. In this case a ridge 82 is carried by an attachment 8!! and is adapted to be received within the groove, the resilience of the metal of the form tending to yieldingly maintain the attachment in position just as, in the case illustrated in Fig. 12, the resilience of the biiurcations of the attachment tend to securely clamp the ridge 64.

It will be clear from the above that if the hosiery dryer is supplied with the customary number of forms, or even a smaller number and with fin attachments of different sizes which may be provided at low cost he can readily provide forms. that are ideally adapted in size to stockings of a great variety of foot sizes, leg widths and qualities and elasticities. The attachments applied, as pointed out above, are heated quickly by conduction so as to attain substantially the working temperature of the body of the form.

What I claim and desire. to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with a drying form body having a leg portion and a shaped foot portion including a defined heel, the leg portion being thin relatively to its width whereby it presents longitudinal thin edges for engagement with hosiery or the like, a bifurcated member arranged for detachable frictional engagement with the form over an upright edge thereof to locally vary its width, the. engagement being such that the member is fixedly held over the upright edge of the form by such engagement alone.

2. In combination with a drying form body having a leg portion and a shaped foot portion including a defined heel, the leg portion being thin relatively to its width whereby it presents longitudinal thin edges for engagement with hosiery or the like, a bifurcated member arranged for detachable frictional engagement with the form over an upright edge thereof to locally vary its width, the engagement being such that the member is held over the upright edge of the form by such engagement alone, said member being provided with an opening adapted to be engaged by a tool to remove the hot member from the form,

RUDOLPH WEBER. 

